Tengou
Backstory Tengou was raised in Jubilife City in the Sinnoh region. Here his father pioneered his own business in the field of Pokemon consumer items. From the time he could walk Tengou was kept busy within his father’s business and as such had little time for friends or personal projects. When he was really young his father kept him at the family office front desk greeting customers and potential business partners. He brought them refreshments and acted as a general go-to guy. As he grew older his father started to rely on him more and placed more responsibilities on him within the business. As a result Tengou started to resent his repressed freedom. Hoping to keep his son happy his father decided to make Tengou a field tester and promoter for his products, and sent Tengou out to the surrounding routes to look for trainers and wild Pokemon to test his father’s home made remedies on. It was during this phase of his life that Tengou developed a flare and passion for Pokemon. He started to talk to the trainers that he found on the various routes not just about his father’s creations, but also about what it was like to be a trainer. He talked to everyone who was willing and learned everything he could from them. He started to tune into the local TV station and frequented the library at the Trainer School. He even visited the Global Trade Center and snuck into a tour group that was going around in hopes of learning about foreign Pokemon. As a result of his growing passion on his Eighteenth birthday Tengou decided to tell his parents that he wanted to start collecting and training Pokemon. After much deliberation his parents agreed that it was past time for him to start making his own decisions in life and so his mother started looking into getting him a starter Pokemon. Shortly after this however, Tengou’s father’s business started to fail and the family was pressed into a financial crisis. On the urging of his father’s financial advisor Tengou’s family made the decision to move to a smaller community where his father’s business wouldn’t be choked out by larger companies and chain stores before it had a chance to grow. They boarded a flight after making alternative living arrangements and flew to Kanto where they settled in Vermillion City. After some time had passed and Tengou had believed that his Pokemon dream had been diminished, his parents called him into the living room of their new house and asked him to close his eyes. Tengou heard a metallic clunk on the coffee table in front of him and he opened his eyes to see a large bird cage with a sleeping Pokemon inside. He tapped the cage to wake the Pokemon up and the frenzied Spearow flapped its wings furiously in agitation. Tengou swallowed hard and opened the door to the cage and the Spearow sat staring at him. Suddenly it made a mad dash out of the cage and started trashing the family’s living room. With much effort they managed to recapture the Pokemon and again lock it in its cage. Laughing his father rubbed the back of his head and admitted that they didn’t have the money at the moment to buy him a better Pokemon but he hoped this one would treat his boy well. Despite his Pokemon’s stand-offish nature Tengou treasured it and took him with him whenever he left to test his father’s remedies in Kanto. One day while he was looking for wild Pokemon on Route 6 to test his father’s new ‘revolutionary Pokeball’ a girl walked up to him with a Bulbasaur at her side. She was the most entrancingly gorgeous woman Tengou had ever seen, and he had interacted with a lot of good looking trainers for her father’s business. She challenged him to a battle with his Spearow which Tengou eagerly accepted. From what he learned in Jubilife he figured he had the Pokemon type advantage and that he would easily win. After a sloppy battle Tengou realised that it took more than book smarts to win battles and he asked the girl if she would teach him. She said her name was Marie and that she’d gladly teach him but that she couldn’t be distracted from her quest. She smiled at him and pulled out a wooden case from her messenger bag at her hip and opened it to reveal two pins inside; one silver and shaped like a stone, the other was blue and looked like a drop of water. Upon replacing her case into her bag she explained to Tengou the Pokemon League Challenge and that she needed to collect eight badges in order to get there. After talking in depth about Marie’s experiences and her goals to be the top trainer at the Indigo Plateau she offered Tengou her trainer number for his Pokegear (he didn’t admit he didn’t have one) and she smiled at him sweetly and left. From that moment on a fiery desire burned in Tengou: to rematch Marie at the Indigo Plateau and test himself with the Pokemon League Challenge! Tengou researched the various Pokemon Leagues in each region and the two that caught his attention were the Indigo Plateau and the Tatsu League. He decided that his best chance at experiencing a wide range of trainers and battles was to travel to the Tatsu region and start there. He told his parents who, although sadly, agreed to let him go and started making arrangements for him to leave. His father’s business was starting to take off and he could afford to hire help so Tengou could leave. Finally the day came that Tengou’s cruise ship was departing for the Tatsu region. Tengou stood on the dock with a cruise ticket in his pocket and his Spearow on his head. On the cruise over to Tatsu, Tengou spent most of his time observing the calibre of the other trainers and analyzing their strategies. He only made one battle while on the cruise against a small boy and his father’s Weedle. Tengou’s Spearow was easily able to dispatch the bug Pokemon and Tengou revelled in his first, though small, victory. Soon after arriving in Centria the ship’s boarding ramp was lowered and Tengou stepped off onto the pier. He looked back towards Kanto and his family, then forwards at the huge city and his new life. Bravely, Tengou walked toward the noise and bustle of the capital city Centria. Personality Tengou is an extremely laid back person and he is able to take most of what comes his way in stride without getting upset. As such it takes a lot to get him worked up, however, when something does manage to bother him he gets mad very fast and can stay mad easily until the conflict is resolved in some way. After a resolution is met he will resume his care-free nature just as fast as he got angry. He idles along at his own speed and takes his time while walking from place to place to take in the environment around him. This was often a problem with his father who is very impatient and always in a hurry. He is able to talk to people easily (maybe not always clearly) as a result of having to talk to so many people for his father’s business. He often uses this outgoing ability to question those around him to fuel his very big curiosity. As a result of being raised in a family who are making their own way via a family business, and from working at a very young age, Tengou is a hard worker when he sets his mind to something and has a large amount of determination. While this is one of his strengths it can also double as a weakness as he sometimes doesn’t recognize that others need or want to take a break for rest or pursuit of other things. Tengou does have a tendency to sometimes be very indecisive which frustrates him because he feels like he isn’t being productive while he is making a decision. Attitude Toward Things and People Tengou has a large amount of respect for other people and their property and positions as a result of being raised in a family whose lively hood depended on them making their own way in the world. He is quick to trust others and enjoys a good natured person to talk to. He especially enjoys watching other people with their Pokemon and is fascinated by the hundreds of varieties of them. His mother has instilled in Tengou a strong sense of justice and what is right and wrong. Sometimes after talking to a trainer about his father’s products, Tengou would discuss philosophical topics with them such as the right to “own” Pokemon, should Pokemon be forced to battle, or is the Pokemon League driving a consumerist society by making it a necessity for trainers to buy potions, Pokeballs, etc. Because of this sense of justice, combined with his hard work ethic, Tengou can not stand lazy people who don’t do anything with themselves and sees them as a burden to society. Behaviours and Habits As he is so chatty and wanting to learn from people Tengou will often stop strangers to ask them things. While walking long distances Tengou likes to take his time, walking with his hands clasped behind his head and leaning back a little. In such a state he can easily see Spearow as he flies above him or daydream as he watches clouds. Appearance Tengou stands at 6’01” with medium long dark brown, shaggy hair and dark brown eyes. Tengou often doesn’t shave due to his lax nature and can often be spotted with a day or two of stubble. His favourite outfit to wear is a simple graphic or logo t-shirt with jeans, held up by his lucky brown belt. His most comfortable footwear is his black skate shoes, although he does also have a pair of boots with him. In order to carry all his equipment and supplies Tengou wears a yellow backpack with a blue sleeping bag rolled up and strapped to the top. Random Facts -Tengou’s father’s name is Edgar, while his mother’s name is Anna. -His favourite colour is green. -Tengou is a romantic person and will often fall for an attractive, kind-looking girl. This is not to say he falls in love with every girl he sees and he has a special place for Marie even though he has no idea where she is. -Tengou's name is derived from the Japanese word "Tengoku" which means paradise. Pokemon Spearow: Tengou’s Spearow was bought from a free-lance trainer as a gift after Tengou’s family moved to Kanto. The Spearow being wild and not having much interaction with humans was very ill-tempered and hard to interact with at first, which is typical with this type of Pokemon. Over time however, with Tengou’s persistence the Pokemon came to be quite tame around the family. He is still on edge around other people and can be seen keeping a watchful eye on others that Tengou stops to talk to. On long journeys Spearow can be seen flying high about Tengou or perched on the trainer’s head as he walks. Phanpy: Phanpy was Tengou's first wild Pokemon battle and his first wild caught Pokemon. He was spotted by Spearow while Tengou was in the Breeze Valley on his way to Breezetop City. After a short conflict Tengou was able to capture Phanpy before he made good his escape. Tengou's Story Tatsu Day One - Tengou arrives in Centria only to find the city is not what he expected. The people are on edge and Tengou has trouble finding his way around town. When he arrives at the Pokemon gym he is confronted by a guard who says that Tengou must have seven other gym badges in order to challenge the leader. Not believing the guard, he challenges him to a battle under the victory condition that he would be allowed in. Tengou's Spearow is defeated however and the guard provokes Tengou into a rage. Here Darshan Amare holds Tengou back and convinces him to come back later. Darshan then takes Tengou to the Pokemon Center and gives him advice, a map, and his contact information should he need any other assistance. Now that Spearow is back to normal and Tengou has a better idea of what he needs to do, he wades into Breeze Valley on his way to Breezetop City. It is here that Spearow spots something from a distance and leads Tengou into his first ever wild Pokemon battle. RP: Fear and Loathing in Tatsu - After battling Phanpy and capturing his first wild Pokemon, Tengou heads towards an inn located midway between Centria and Breezetop. Here, in the dark of night, he meets Emma; a trainer new to Tatsu who seems to have lost her way. The two connect and Emma offers to give Tengou and his hungry Spearow some food. Emma - After talking and sharing food Tengou makes up his mind to help Emma catch some Pokemon that she can take home to show her brother. The next day would have alternate plans for them however, as they find themselves the victims of a wild swarm of hostile Pokemon. Tengou must decide if he wants to use his newly caught Phanpy in a fight that could lead to life or death. Terms of Use No one may use this character in any canon work what so ever with out its creator’s (Tengou) permission. You have permission if you choose to use this character in any non-canon work and a link to your piece would be greatly appreciated. Category:Submitted characters